Latest news with #CoryTomczyk
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republicans circulate bill to withhold pay for suspended judges
The Milwaukee County Courthouse (Photo by Isiah Holmes/Wisconsin Examiner) Wisconsin Republicans are proposing a bill to stop paying judges who have been suspended in response to the arrest and suspension of Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan. Dugan was indicted in May by a federal grand jury and has pleaded not guilty to charges that she impeded the arrest by federal agents of an immigrant who was appearing in her court room. She was arrested by FBI agents in April. Critics have condemned the arrest as an example of the Trump administration discouraging pushback to mass deportation efforts and a worrying sign for democracy. Federal and state Republicans have supported the arrest of Dugan, saying those who stand in the way of deportations should be arrested and that Dugan should resign or be removed. The bill, cosponsored by Sen. Cory Tomczyk (R-Mosinee), Assembly Majority Leader Tyler August (R-Walworth) and Rep. Shae Sortwell (R-Two Rivers), would require that if the state Supreme Court imposes a suspension as proceedings are pending or as a disciplinary sanction due to misconduct, it must be without pay. The Wisconsin Supreme Court chose to suspend Dugan in April, saying it was in the public interest to relieve her of her duties for now. Dugan is still being paid her nearly $175,000 annual salary. The lawmakers noted that Dugan's trial was postponed from July 21 and may not take place until 2026. They said taxpayers will be paying for 'an extended vacation' even as reserve judges have to fill in for her and they argued the bill is needed to stop suspended judges from getting paid in the future. According to the Wisconsin Judicial Commission, 15 judges have been suspended by the Supreme Court from 1978 to 2024. 'In these rare circumstances, these judges' actions and alleged misconduct rose to such a level that suspension was warranted,' the lawmakers said in a memo. 'Simply put, Wisconsin taxpayers must be protected from the misconduct and/or commission of a crime by rogue judges.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
GOP lawmakers seek to require public schools to display 'In God We Trust' in classrooms
MADISON - Three Wisconsin lawmakers are proposing to require all public schools display "In God We Trust" on the walls of classrooms. Republican Sen. Cory Tomczyk of Mosinee and GOP Reps. Joy Goeben of Hobart and Nate Gustafson of Fox Crossing are seeking support from legislative colleagues for a bill that would require the displays to be present in all public school buildings within six months of passage of the bill and by the 2026-27 school year in schools. "This measure is by no means unprecedented. Wisconsin would join a growing list of states recently requiring the motto be displayed including Florida, South Carolina, Arkansas, South Dakota, Tennessee, and most recently Louisiana," the lawmakers wrote in a memo seeking support. The lawmakers said it would codify a trend of states enacting similar laws since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The bill would require the displays to be at least 11 inches by 14 inches large. Under current law, each school board and governing body of a private school must display the U.S. flag in the schoolroom or from a flagstaff on the school grounds during the school hours of each school day, according to an analysis of the proposal by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau. "In God We Trust" has been the national motto since 1956. The saying first appeared on U.S. coins during the Civil War and is still included on currency today. The use of "In God We Trust" in government buildings like schools has been challenged in court over the years, arguing the display of the motto violates the First Amendment's freedom of religion protections. A U.S. Appeals Court in 2018 ruled the motto was constitutional and did not infringe on Americans' rights to free religion. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2019 rejected a case involving the question of constitutionality. A spokeswoman for Gov. Tony Evers, a former public school educator, did not immediately react to the proposal. Molly Beck can be reached at This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: GOP lawmakers want public schools to display 'In God We Trust'
